6) Good Shepherd: Revolutionary?!?

In the Old Testament (OT), when you read the first part of Jeremiah 50:6 ESV: “My people have been lost sheep”, you see an example of how God likes to refer to us: people throughout the bible, as “sheep”. Sheep have interesting characteristics, most of them not very flattering 😎 but in any case, we humans, like sheep, seek out a “good shepherd”; someone we recognize, in our little “sheep-restricted” brains, who will take care of us; someone we can trust.

This may be why the most popular Psalm is number 23 because even a lot of non-churched people know some of this Psalm by heart. The first part is all about a good shepherd:

The LORD is myshepherd; I shall notwant.
He makes me lie down in greenpastures.
He leads me beside still waters
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley ofthe shadow of death,
I willfear no evil,
foryou are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

We aren’t at all surprised when Jesus states in John: 10:11 ESV: I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherdlays down his life for the sheep.

So it might surprise you that that was a REVOLUTIONARY claim! Why? Jesus the GOOD SHEPHERD, sounds fair, right? Well, to the Jews hearing this statement from a man, speaking about himself and not just referring to the Good Shepherd written about in scripture, was absolute CRAZY talk!!!

In the ancient Greek language, Jesus in the John 10:11 statement, uses the same ‘I am’ words, which God uses in the Old Testament Hebrew language, when He tells Moses his name: Exodus 3:14 ESV: God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” 1

But most of us don’t realize this because we don’t know ancient Greek (the original language that the New Testament was written in).

This ‘I AM’ statement, which Jesus made is referred to by Bible scholars as one of seven ‘I am’ statements made in the Gospel of John. (John 6:35, 48, 51. 8:12; 9:5. 10:7, 9. 10:11, 14. 11:25. 14:6. 15:1 ESV Study Bible notes page 2041). It was also the reason why so many people hearing Jesus were very, very angry with him, to the point that they tried to kill him numerous times throughout his ministry.

Do you know why they were angry? In other words, do you understand what Jesus was claiming?

Read John 10:16. Who are the other sheep, which Jesus is referring to?

Endnote:

1: I highly recommend to you, conducting your own study of God’s name as stated here: I AM WHO I AM because the richness of what this name means is an incredible study into the nature of God.

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